Domestic cats communicate to other felines with gestures like pupil dilation and skin twitching. Because we humans are bad at decoding this subtle language, our pets have learned to use other types of cues with us. Purring falls in that category, but after about nine thousand years living together, we're still not sure what it means. It isn't necessarily a sign of contentment, as most people think. Our furry companions will purr at the vet, but they're not exactly happy to be squeezed and examined. On the contrary, they may be saying, "I'm vulnerable, help me." We call this an et-epimeletic behavior, which animals use to demand care and attention-oftentimes from a mother, but possibly from their human.
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